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16 Sep 2010 : Column 1208W—continued
Prisons: Drugs
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have (a) undertaken and (b) completed the 19-day drug detoxification programme in the latest period for which figures are available. [15012]
Mr Burstow: I have been asked to reply.
In the period March to May 2010, 215 prisoners entered 14-day reduction programmes, which were taken in combination with a pre-detoxification five-day stabilisation treatment programme. Of these 215 cases, 132 results of treatment were reported. Of these, 11 (8%) left treatment in an unplanned manner, and 121 (92%) completed treatment in a planned manner.
Prisons: Internet
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have facilities to access the internet (a) from their cell and (b) from prison premises other than their cells. [15009]
Mr Blunt: Figures recording how many prisoners are permitted access to the internet are not compiled centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by asking each prison to analyse local records.
Selected prisoners who have undergone a thorough risk assessment are allowed supervised access to a very restricted number of specific learning sites on the internet for educational purposes.
There are significant security processes in place to ensure that IT access is monitored and cannot be abused by prisoners.
Prisons: Lancashire
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to build a new prison in East Lancashire. [15109]
Mr Blunt:
In October 2009, the Ministry of Justice began a site search for sites suitable for 1,500-place prisons in the priority areas of North West England,
North Wales, West Yorkshire and Greater London. A number of sites in the North West have been put forward, including in Lancashire.
We will look in detail over the coming months at the sentencing frameworks for adult and young offenders, as well as the full range of penalties available in the criminal justice system.
Long-term decisions on prison capacity programmes will be taken in the light of these policy developments. We will ensure that we meet prison capacity requirements more efficiently to improve value for money for the taxpayer and contribute savings to help reduce the budget deficit.
Reoffenders
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the re-offending rate was for (a) men, (b)
women and (c) those from ethnic minority backgrounds who have served a (i) custodial and (ii) community sentence in the latest period for which figures are available. [15132]
Mr Blunt: Tables 1 and 2 show the number and one- year reoffending rate of adult offenders who were released from custody or commenced a court order under probation supervision in the first quarter of 2008. Table 1 gives a breakdown of reoffending rates by gender and index disposal, table 2 gives a breakdown by ethnicity and index disposal.
| Table 1: N umber of offenders and one year reoffending rate by gender and index disposal, Quarter 1 2008 | ||||
| Gender | Index disposal | Number of offenders | Proportion of offenders who reoffend (percentage) | Number of offences per 100 offenders |
| (1) Court orders include pre-Criminal Justice Act 2003 community sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders. | ||||
| Table 2: N umber of offenders and one year reoffending rate by ethnicity and index disposal, Quarter 1 2008 | ||||
| Ethnicity | Index disposal | Number of offenders | Proportion who reoffend (percentage) | Number of offences per 100 offenders |
| 1 Court orders include pre-Criminal Justice Act 2003 community sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders. | ||||
Reoffending rates shown here should not be used to make direct comparisons between different groups of offenders as there is no control for differences in offender characteristics.
Data on reoffending by ethnicity should be treated with caution as the ethnicity data are derived from an operational policing system and reflect the officer's view of the offender's ethnicity. The classification offers neither the level of detail of other ethnic classifications nor the opportunity for the offender to classify their own ethnic group.
Direct comparisons between the effectiveness of different sentences cannot be made. While the data for offenders commencing court orders show lower reoffending rates than offenders discharged from prison, it is important to note that offenders sentenced to prison have on average a higher probability of reoffending, based on their previous criminal history.
Further information on adult reoffending is available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffending ofadults.htm
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many programmes designed to reduce re-offending among (a) men, (b) women and (c) those from ethnic minority backgrounds his Department funded in the last 12 months. [15133]
Mr Blunt: Programmes are funded through establishment baseline funding and the general grant given to Probation Trusts. Information on which programmes have been funded could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
NOMS has developed and delivers a range of accredited offending behaviour programmes, designed to address a diverse range of offending. Other activities addressing issues such as accommodation, employment, health, and resettlement as well as interventions agreed locally often involving the community organisations also have a significant part to play.
In addition there are a wide variety of non-accredited interventions delivered locally by prison establishments and probation trusts to meet the particular needs of offenders. Some of these will be funded through other sources.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people who have served an indeterminate sentence for public protection have re-offended after release; and what estimate he has made of the number of offences committed by such re-offenders in each of the last five years. [15195]
Mr Blunt: As at 13 September 2010, the National Offender Management Service has been notified of 11 offenders subject to indeterminate sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) who have been convicted of criminal offences committed following release on licence.
The number of offences committed by the offenders broken down over each of the last five years is given in the table below. One offender reoffended on two separate occasions and so appears twice in the table.
| Number of offenders | Number of offences | |
| (1) For the period 1 January 2010 until 13 September 2010 | ||
These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection and Mental Health Group (PPMHG) database and internal PPMHG paper records. As with any large scale recording systems, they are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
It is for the independent Parole Board to determine whether IPP offenders should be released from custody on licence.
Trials: Shrewsbury Pickets
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had regarding a public inquiry into the trials of the Shrewsbury pickets in the 1970s; and what representations he has received on the publication of all documents relating to those trials. [15679]
Mr Djanogly: Neither my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Clarke) nor I have held any discussions about a public inquiry into the trials of the Shrewsbury pickets in the 1970s. We have, however recently received a request relating to the availability of information regarding the trials which we are currently considering.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the administrative requirements on (a) local authorities and (b) retailers of implementing her Department's proposals to ban the sale of alcohol below cost price; [14116]
(2) whether her Department has offered guidance to local authorities considering policies to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol. [14149]
Mrs May: We are currently examining the proposal to prohibit the sale of alcohol below cost price, and a range of options is under consideration. The alcohol consultation "Re-balancing the Licensing Act" closed on 8 September. We will now make a full assessment of the administrative requirements of the proposal and its impacts on local authorities and businesses.
The Home Office has not offered guidance to any local authorities concerning the introduction of a minimum unit price. We are currently undertaking a review of alcohol taxation and pricing, the outcome of which will help to set the Government's agenda, on which measures will be taken forward in relation to alcohol pricing.
Asylum
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effects on those awaiting asylum application determination of the requirement to use the Azure card system as a means of payment for goods and services. [14900]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency maintains a clear distinction between the two support regimes provided to asylum seekers awaiting a determination and failed asylum seekers who have exhausted the asylum process.
Destitute asylum seekers still awaiting a determination on their asylum claim are eligible to receive cash support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. All asylum seekers whose applications have been fully determined and have exhausted their appeal rights are required to leave the UK as soon as possible. Those failed asylum seekers who are destitute and unable to leave the UK immediately due to circumstances beyond their control are provided with more restrictive cashless support under section four of the 1999 Act. It is section 4 for which the Azure card is provided.
The system of section 4 support is integral to the maintenance of a fair and consistent system of immigration control. The limitations on section 4 support reflects its temporary nature, and are necessary to avoid creating an incentive for failed asylum seekers to remain in the UK and placing additional pressure on limited public funds.
Asylum: Deportation
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Agency has undertaken a review of its policy on dawn raids for the removal of failed asylum seekers and illegal immigrants as a result of the report by the independent chief inspector of the UK Border Agency. [13222]
Damian Green: Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 placed a statutory safeguarding duty for children on the UK Border Agency, which we take very seriously. On its introduction we reviewed our guidance for immigration officers undertaking home visits and we have clear guidance on the time of day a visit should take place.
Where immigration officers are planning a visit all factors are considered. If a child or children are in a family that are being visited, a member of the team will be aware of them specifically and their welfare will be that staff member's prime concern. Visits to home addresses are undertaken as sensitively as possible.
We keep our guidance and staff activity under continuous review and following the review of family removals by the independent chief inspector we have accepted that while our guidance is clear, there is some assurance work to be done. In particular we have committed to make sure that our officers are taking an individual approach to each case when planning visits and assessing when the best time to visit a family should be.
CCTV: Regulation
Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals regulating the use of CCTV. [15338]
James Brokenshire: The Government are giving consideration to the key issues around the further regulation of CCTV and will be bringing forward proposals shortly.
Criminal Investigation: EU Action
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the initial draft of the European Investigation Order. [13919]
Mrs May: I have not had any direct discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice regarding the European Investigation Order. He was among the Ministers who were consulted on the decision to opt in to the Order and Home Office and Ministry of Justice officials have however been in regular contact about the European Investigation Order since it was published.
Deportation
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals of each country of origin were deported from the UK in each of the last 12 months. [15482]
Damian Green: The table showing the number of removals and voluntary departures from the United Kingdom, by country of nationality from July 2009 to June 2010 will be placed in the Library of the House.
The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis. These publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
Entry Clearances: Pakistan
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of Pakistan have been refused UK visas by entry clearance officers in Abu Dhabi in the most recent period for which figures are available. [15110]
Damian Green: A total of 80,000 Pakistani nationals have been refused UK visas by entry clearance officers in Abu Dhabi since 1 November 2008 when our visa section in Abu Dhabi assumed responsibility for processing all non-settlement visa applications lodged in Pakistan.
This figure has been rounded and is based on management information (1 November 2008 to 30 June 2010). It is provisional and subject to change.
Immigration
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many immigration cases her Department recorded intercession by an hon. Member in 2009-10. [14914]
Damian Green:
The UK Border Agency do not keep statistics of the volume of correspondence from MPs that leads to intervention and any attempt to capture
this information could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
However, in the year 2009 the UK Border Agency received 66,320 inquiries by letter or email, and 25,322 inquiries by telephone-a total of 91,642 inquires from Members of Parliament.
Immigration Controls: English Language
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps were taken to ensure that the new English language requirements for spouses joining British nationals are compatible with the relevant provisions of (a) section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and (b) the European Convention on Human Rights. [14111]
Mrs May: We have taken appropriate steps in the development of the proposed new language requirements for spouses and partners to take into account the European Convention on Human Rights and in particular article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life) of the convention.
Licensed Premises
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many licences to sell alcohol for continuous 24-hour periods had been issued to each type of establishment in each local authority area on the most recent date for which figures are available; [14051]
(2) what assessment she has made of the effect of implementation of proposals in her Department's consultation on Rebalancing the Licensing Act on the number of 24-hour alcohol licences in operation. [14117]
Mrs May: We are currently examining the proposal to prohibit the sale of alcohol below cost price, and a range of options are under consideration. The alcohol consultation "Re-balancing the Licensing Act" closed on 8 September. We will make a full assessment of the effect of the proposal on businesses, including those holding a 24-hour premise licence, in due course.
Some 7,178 premises licences were in force on 31 March 2009 in England and Wales for the sale or supply of alcohol for 24 hours in their standard timings (as reported by 96% of all licensing authorities). This made up 4% of all premises licences and club premises certificates authorised to sell alcohol. The possession of a 24-hour licence does not necessarily mean that the premises will choose to open for 24 hours.
The coalition agreement made it clear that we intend to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, any premises that are causing problems.
A full breakdown by premises type for each licensing authority can be found here:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/Number_of_premises_with_24_hour_alcohol_licences_by _premise_type_2009.xls
Source: Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing, England and Wales, April 2008 to March 2009.
Licensing Laws
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many appeals against decisions on licensing by local authorities there were in each local authority area in each of the last three years; [14982]
(2) how many premises licensed for the on-sale of alcohol there were in each local authority area in each of the last three years; [14980]
(3) how many designated licensing stress areas there are in each (a) local authority area and (b) region. [14983]
Mrs May: Data relating to the number of cumulative impact zones (CIZs) are included in table 1.
Data relating to appeals against decisions on licensing by local authorities over the last three years is included in tables 2-4.
Data on the number of on-trade licensed premises over the last three years are included in tables 5-7.
Copies of the tables will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Data for 2009-10 will be published on 29 September 2010.
The coalition agreement made it clear that we intend to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, any premises that are causing problems.
A full breakdown by premises type for each licensing authority can be found here:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/Number_of_premises_with_24_hour_alcohol_licences_by_ premise_type_2009.xls
Source:
Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing, England and Wales, April 2008-March 2009.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 29 July 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr N. Kalbi. [15180]
Damian Green: I replied to the right hon. Gentleman on 16 September 2010.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 30 July 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr S. Parvaz. [15184]
Damian Green: I replied to the right hon. Member on behalf of the Home Secretary on 15 September.
National Crime Agency
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she made of the cost to her Department of abolishing the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and establishing the National Crime Agency; [14313]
(2) pursuant to her Department's consultation on policing in the 21st century, whether the proposed border police force is to replace the UK Border Agency; and what estimate she has made of the effect of implementation of her proposals on the staffing level of (a) the UK Border Agency, (b) the Serious Organised Crime Agency and (c) other policing bodies. [14052]
Mrs May: The recent consultation document, "Policing in the 21st Century", announced our intention to create a powerful new body of operational crime fighters-the National Crime Agency-to tackle serious organised crime more effectively and strengthen our borders.
The National Crime Agency will include a Border Police Command. This will have the ability to task and co-ordinate those border enforcement operational staff who together will form the new Border Police capability.
As I said in the House on 26 July, we will publish figures on costs and the business case for the National Crime Agency in due course.
Passports
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passport applications were returned to applicants because they (a) used the wrong colour ink or (b) were smiling in their photograph in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what her most recent estimate is of the cost of returning such an application to the applicant. [15615]
Damian Green: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) does not keep records of how many passport applications were returned to applicants because they used the wrong colour of ink or were smiling in their photograph.
Therefore, IPS is unable to provide an estimate of the cost of returning such an application to the applicant.
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) adults and (b) children taken into custody by the UK Border Agency in Scotland have been detained at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre since the ending of child detention at Dungavel was announced. [13212]
Damian Green: Records show that one family, comprising one adult and one child, taken into custody in Scotland, has been detained at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre since 19 May 2010.
These data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications.
Cabinet Office
Cancer
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the geographical incidence of cancer cases in England; and what cancer clusters it has identified. [15473]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 15 September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary question asking what assessment has been made of the geographical incidence of cancer cases in England; and which cancer clusters have been identified where the rate in a locality is significantly above average. (15473)
The Cancer Atlas of the United Kingdom and Ireland 1991-2000, describes the information on geographical patterns in cancer incidence and mortality across the four countries of the UK and Ireland for the 21 common cancers and relates these patterns to risk factors and socio-economic deprivation. This can be downloaded from the National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk =14059&Pos=&ColRank=l&Rank=272
Information on clusters of cancer cases is not readily available. Such analyses are normally carried out as part of individual scientific studies and are not published as official statistics.
Charities: Fraud
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on reducing the number of fraudulent charity collections. [14796]
Mr Hurd: While I meet with ministerial colleagues on a regular basis, I have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on this specific issue.
Citizenship
Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in establishing the National Citizen Service programme; whether the programme will include emergency life skills training for participants; and if he will make a statement. [15246]
Mr Hurd: A commissioning process to select providers for National Citizen Service pilot schemes in summer 2011 was opened on 2 August. The deadline for completed expressions of interest was 25 August. Organisations or consortia successful at this stage have now been notified and invited to submit a full proposal by 6 October. In common with all Government programmes, the scale of the pilots will be subject to the spending review. Successful bidders will be announced in late October.
The Government are committed to ensuring that the National Citizen Service is a challenging and enjoyable experience for young people which equips them with skills to make a difference in their communities. It will be for NCS providers to define the precise activities young people will undertake on their NCS schemes, within the parameters set out in the NCS specification documents. As the NCS programme progresses, my department will continue to work with NCS providers on developing the content for training and skills development activities.
Civil Service Live Conference
Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost to the public purse was of the (a) Central Office of Information, (b) National School of Government, (c) Civil Service in the English Regions, (d) DirectGov (e) Minority Ethnic Talent Association stand at Civil Service Live 2010. [12831]
Mr Maude: The costs of the stands at Civil Service Live 2010 are as follows:
| Organisation | Cost i ncl . VAT (£) |
Data Protection
Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to bring forward legislation to enshrine a right to data, as set out in the coalition agreement; and if he will make a statement. [15690]
Mr Maude: As set out in the coalition agreement, we will create a new 'right to data' so that government-held datasets can be requested and used by the public and then published on a regular basis.
Following this commitment, a significant amount has already been achieved and the last few months have seen us deliver on our promise to radically shake-up what transparency means in government.
We have already taken those important first steps and released information about people, jobs and salaries that had been previously unavailable data, so that people can start to hold politicians and government to account.
We have set up the Transparency Board-which I chair-to keep pushing the transparency agenda and ensure our commitments continue to be implemented across government as announced by the Prime Minister-in his letter to Cabinet Ministers on 29 May-which include publication of important data held by central Government, quangos, local government and police forces.
Furthermore, the draft Public Data Principles, published by the Transparency Board in June, provide a practical framework to promote re-use and open standards.
We are continuing to develop our thinking on how best to implement the new 'right to data', supported by the Transparency Board.
Departmental Furniture
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many chairs his Department has purchased in each year since 1997; how much it spent in each such year; and what the five most expensive chairs purchased in each such year were. [12792]
Mr Maude: In 2000 and 2002, the Cabinet Office moved into the newly refurbished Admiralty Arch and 22/26 Whitehall respectively. Approximately 500 chairs of varying types were purchased on each occasion. Other than this, the Cabinet Office has only purchased chairs on an ad hoc basis to replace broken items or to meet health and safety requirements, because the chairs purchased in 2000-02 still have several years' life left in them.
The detailed information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff (a) his Department and (b) the Prime Minister's Office employs to consider (i) departmental and (ii) national strategy; what output such staff are required to produce; and if he will make a statement. [15601]
Mr Maude: As part of the Government's transparency agenda, the Cabinet Office will be publishing an organogram in the autumn which includes job descriptions and the number of staff working in each area.
Departmental Pay
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what average hourly rate his Department has paid to each employment agency for agency staff in each of the last three years. [12716]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office has had a central contract in place for temporary administrative and clerical staff with Reed Recruitment Agency for the last three years. The hourly rate for agency workers supplied varies with the level of skills and knowledge required for an assignment.
The average hourly charge exclusive of VAT paid by the Cabinet Office to Reed Recruitment Agency for agency staff engaged over the last three financial years is set out in the following table:
| Average hourly charge for staff engaged under Reed contract (£) | |
Changes from year to year reflect the grade level and numbers of staff who have been employed in any particular year.
While this contract provides the majority of the Department's agency workers, there are occasions where Management Units engage agency workers from other suppliers because individuals with relevant skills are not available via the central contract. Information on locally-arranged engagements is not held centrally. To provide the information requested would involve individual Management Units interrogating records of individual contracts for agency workers and collating average hourly rates. This could only be done by exceeding the threshold for disproportionate cost.
Departmental Redundancy Pay
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what severance payments have been paid to (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department who left office after the last general election. [15485]
Mr Maude: For severance payments made to Ministers who left the Cabinet Office after the last general election, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 55W.
The cost of severance paid out to special advisers who left office after the last general election will be published in due course.
Employment: Lone Parents
Mrs Grant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average employment rate was for single parents aged (a) under 20, (b) 21 to 30, (c) 31 to 40, (d) over 40 years old in the most recent year for which figures are available. [14725]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 15 September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question concerning what the average employment rate was for single parents aged (a) under 20, (b) 21 to 30, (c) 31 to 40, (d) over 40 years old in the most recent year for which figures are available. (14725)
The information requested is given in the table attached. The information provided is from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets for the period January to December 2008.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. That margin of uncertainty is captured in a confidence interval, defined by lower and upper bounds, such that the interval formed between the bounds would contain the unknown, true value for 95% of all possible samples.
| Table 1 Employment rate( 1) for lone parents by age: United Kingdom, January-December 2008 | |||
| Percentage | Lower bound( 2) | Upper bound( 2) | |
| (1) For people aged 16 to 64. (2) 95% confidence interval which means that from all samples possible there would be 95 per cent certainty that the true estimate would lie within the lower and upper bounds. Source: APS household datasets | |||
Government Departments: ICT
Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to reduce costs and improve services by smarter procurement of IT services for Government Departments; and if he will make a statement. [15687]
Mr Maude: We have already taken major steps to reduce costs through the implementation of an immediate freeze on all new ICT spend above £1 million; a review of the Government's biggest projects, including ICT projects, to see where costs can be reduced or wasteful projects stopped altogether; and the renegotiation of contracts with major suppliers across government. We have also mandated that all spending on common goods and service categories by Government Departments, which will include some ICT spend, should take place through centrally agreed contracting vehicles.
To underpin this, the Government are currently working towards publishing a Government ICT Strategy, which will help Government to become a better and more intelligent buyer of ICT.
Ministerial Policy Advisers: Redundancy Pay
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 434W, on Ministerial policy advisers: redundancy pay, when he expects to publish details of severance payments made to special advisers in each department made redundant at the general election. [15476]
Mr Maude: The cost of severance payments made to special advisers made redundant at the last general election is expected to be published before the end of the year.
Older People
Mr Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) male and (b) female centenarians there were in each (i) constituency and (ii) region in England and Wales in each of the last three years. [15637]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) male and (b) female centenarians there were in England and Wales in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) constituency and (ii) region (15637).
Population estimates for the very elderly (including centenarians) are published by the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales combined. The table below contains the estimated number of centenarians for the latest three years, 2006 to 2008.
| Estimated number of centenarians, 2006-08, England and Wales | |||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Note: Figures rounded to nearest hundred. | |||
Estimates are not produced for the number of centenarians broken down by constituency or region.
Personal Income
John Stevenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the average income of households in (a) the UK, (b) Cumbria and (c) Carlisle was on the latest date for which figures are available; [14666]
(2) what the average income of individuals in (a) the UK, (b) Cumbria and (c) Carlisle was on the latest date for which figures are available. [14665]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking what the average income of individuals in (a) the UK, (b) Cumbria and (c) Carlisle was at the latest date for which figures are available, (14665); and, what the average income of households in (a) the UK, (b) Cumbria and (c) Carlisle was at the latest date for which figures are available. (14666)
Table 1 shows the estimated average net weekly equivalised household income (both before and after housing costs) in the UK in 2008/09 and in Cumbria and Carlisle in 2007/08 at 2008/09 prices where data are available. Incomes are presented net of income tax payments, National Insurance contributions and Council tax. The incomes are equivalised to take account of each household's size and composition, in: recognition of how these affect their standard of living. Data for individuals are not available.
The estimates provided for the UK are based on data from the Households Below Average Income series produced by the Department for Work and Pensions, and small area statistics for Cumbria and Carlisle produced by the ONS.
These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Table 1: Average net weekly equivalised( 1) household income( 2) in the UK, Cumbria and Carlisle, 2008/09( 3,4) | ||||
| £ per week | ||||
| Median | Mean | |||
| Before housing costs | After housing costs | Before housing costs | After housing costs | |
| (1) Data are based on the modified OECD equalisation factors which account for variations in household size and composition between survey years. (2) Household incomes are presented net of income tax payments, national insurance contributions and council tax. Data for individuals are not available. (3) Estimates for the UK are for 2008-09. Estimates for Cumbria and Carlisle are for 2007-08 in 2006-09 prices. (4 )Housing costs include rent (gross of housing benefit), water charges, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance, ground rent and service charges. (5) Data are for the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundary. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, and Office for National Statistics | ||||
Public Sector: Trade Unions
Sajid Javid: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of the public sector workforce in (a) each Government Department and (b) each other public body are trades union members. [13917]
Mr Maude: According to the Labour Force Survey, in the fourth quarter of 2009, an estimated 56.2% of employees in the UK's public sector were members of a trade union.
These figures cannot be disaggregated to individual public sector employers.
Public Sector: Wales
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will rank by proportion and number public sector workers in each constituency in North Wales in descending order of magnitude. [15683]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the ranking of percentage and number of public sector workers for each constituency in North Wales in descending order. (15683)
I regret that estimates of public sector workers on a. constituency basis are not available. Figures at a government office region are available from the Public Sector Employment release. Further information on these figures can be found at the National Statistics website:
Strategy Unit
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library a copy of the full Fundamental Savings Review document prepared by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit in 2005-06. [14395]
Mr Maude: The Fundamental Savings Review was published by Her Majesty's Treasury as Releasing the resources to meet the challenges ahead: value for money in the 2007 comprehensive spending review and is available from its website at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/csr07_releasingre sources1_130706.pdf
A copy will also be placed in the Library of the House.
Street Collection Permits
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many street collection permits were granted by each local authority in each of the last five years. [14797]
Mr Hurd: Licenses for street and house to house collections are generally granted by local licensing authorities in England and Wales and records are not kept centrally.
Unemployment
John Stevenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have been unemployed for (a) under 12 months, (b) between one year and five years and (c) over five years. [15588]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 15 September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people have been unemployed for (a) under 12 months, (b) between one year and five years and (c) over five years. (15588)
The table provided shows Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates covering the information requested.
| Unemployment levels for people aged 16 and over by duration , t hree month periods ending June, 2010 , United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted | |
| Thousand | |
| (1 )Includes those who did not state their duration of unemployment. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Note: It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels mobile home sites etc.). Source: Labour Force Survey | |
Unemployment: Carlisle
John Stevenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Carlisle constituency have been unemployed for (a) under 12 months, (b) between one year and five years and (c) over five years. [15587]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Carlisle constituency have been unemployed for (a) under 12 months, (b) between one year and five years and (c) over five years. (15587)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested durations and geography are not available.
As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons resident in the Carlisle constituency, in August 2010, who have been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for (a) up to 52 weeks, (b) over 52 weeks and up to 260 weeks and (c) over 260 weeks.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
| Table 1: Number of persons claiming jobseeker's allowance by duration of claim residing in Carlisle constituency-August 2010 | |
| Number | |
| Note: Data rounded to the nearest five. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system | |
Voluntary Work: Young People
Mrs Grant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on implementation of his proposals for a National Citizen Service; and what recent discussions he has had with (a) youth charities, (b) social enterprises and (c) business on the implementation of the scheme. [14729]
Mr Hurd: A commissioning process to select providers for NCS pilot schemes in summer 2011 was opened on 2 August. The deadline for completed expressions of interest was 25 August.
Organisations or consortiums successful at this stage have now been notified and invited to submit a full proposal by 6 October. In common with all Government programmes, the scale of the pilots will be subject to the spending review. Successful bidders will be announced in late October.
I have discussed the development of NCS with a variety of organisations in the youth, social enterprise and private sectors; their input to the development of the scheme is very important and I will continue to engage with all sectors as the scheme progresses.
Transport
A417: Accidents
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse of emergency services attending incidents called out at and in the vicinity of the A417 between Nettleton Down and Gloucester was in the last 12 months. [13397]
Mike Penning: No estimate of the cost is held by the Department for Transport. Highways Agency traffic officers are not classed as an emergency service, their role is to manage the traffic on motorways and key trunk 'A' roads in England, where they perform a number of control room and on-road functions.
Specifically the role of the Traffic Officer Service involves:
managing incidents, except where there is loss of life, injury or potential criminal activity;
setting signs and signals and answering emergency roadside telephones;
arranging the removal of damaged or broken down/abandoned vehicles;
removing debris and other obstructions from the carriageway.
Airports
Sir Alan Haselhurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish the National Policy Statement for Airports for consultation. [15209]
Mrs Villiers: The Government will make an announcement on national policy statements in due course.
Aviation: Security
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of whether the use of body scanners at London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester airports is in compliance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998; and if he will make a statement; [15697]
(2) what recent representations he has received from religious groups on the use of body scanners at UK airports; [15698]
(3) what penalty will be imposed on airport operators that breach the Interim Code of Practice for the Acceptable Use of Advanced Imaging Technology in an Aviation Security Environment; [15699]
(4) what assessment he has made of alternative methods of security screening available for airport passengers who do not wish to be scanned by a body scanner on religious or medical grounds. [15700]
Mrs Villiers: The Government recognise that the use of security scanners may engage issues relevant to human rights. However, such rights are not absolute and the Government believe that the use of security scanners as an aviation security measure at UK airports is necessary, proportionate and legitimate.
Security scanners have been deployed in the interests of protecting national security, public safety and the prevention and detection of crime, and the Government believe that their use is consistent with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Government have received several responses from religious-based organisations to the public consultation on the interim code of practice for the use of security scanners in aviation security, which closed on 19 July. The Government are examining all of the responses before deciding on the next steps.
The Code of Practice forms part of a Direction on airport operators made under the Aviation Security Act 1982. The penalties for failing to comply with a directed requirement are set out in the 1982 Act.
The Government assess that the only alternative that would reveal carefully concealed items would be an intimate hand search, conducted in private and which may involve the loosening and removal of clothing. The Government believe that this, by its nature, would be far more intrusive, and a much greater invasion of privacy, than the use of a security scanner. Such searches raise issues about the training, staff and resource burdens that carrying out such searches would impose on airport operators, and the impact on passenger throughput times at security checkpoints. However, this issue is being carefully considered in light of the public consultation before decisions are taken on the future use of security scanners.
Bus Services: Finance
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to maintain current funding levels for the Bus Service Operators Grant for the next three years. [14744]
Norman Baker: An impact assessment was published in March 2008 alongside a consultation document on options for bus subsidy reform. A subsequent impact assessment was published in December 2009. Decisions on the future levels of Bus Service Operators Grant will be taken as part of the spending review.
Bus Services: Rural Areas
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for future funding levels for the Bus Service Operators Grant in rural areas. [14382]
Norman Baker: The Government will consider the Bus Service Operators Grant as part of the spending review. Decisions will be made, and announced, in due course.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made an assessment of the likely effects on the level of provision of public bus services in rural areas of the ending of the Bus Service Operators Grant. [14472]
Norman Baker: An impact assessment was published in March 2008 alongside a consultation document on options for bus subsidy reform. A subsequent impact assessment was published in December 2009. Decisions on the future levels of Bus Service Operators Grant will be taken as part of the spending review.
Dartford-Thurrock Crossing
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars used the assisted crossing service when using the Dartford Crossing in each of the last 10 years. [15324]
Mike Penning: A detailed analysis of the use of the assisted crossing service was carried out between 1 May and 30 June 2009. This found that 49 drivers were helped to make 160 assisted crossings. Of these, one driver was assisted 34 times, one 17 times and one 15 times; most of the remaining drivers were assisted occasionally, averaging fewer than one crossing per week.
Following this review, an operational decision was made to withdraw from providing assistance from 1 August 2009, in advance of a new contract coming into effect.
Dee Harbour Revision Order
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he expects the Dee Harbour Revision Order to be approved by his Department by the end of 2010. [15642]
Mike Penning: I expect this application to be determined before the end of 2010, subject to satisfactory completion of statutory processes.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the Dee Harbour Revision Order was first submitted to his Department for approval. [15691]
Mike Penning: This application was first submitted to the Department for Transport on 20 January 2005.
The Environment Agency applied for a harbour revision order in January 2005 the effect of which would be to confer powers on the agency to facilitate the implementation of the Port Marine Safety Code, modernise the agency's conservancy functions and enable ship dues to be collected.
This followed an application from the Mostyn Docks Limited in April 2003 for a harbour revision order for Mostyn Dock, which abuts into the Dee estuary, the effect of which would be to confer powers on that company to facilitate the implementation of the Port Marine Safety Code and to extend the powers of the company in respect of aids to navigation, wreck removal, pilotage functions and harbour jurisdiction over an area of the estuary.
Departmental Allowances
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department and its predecessors spent on (a) reimbursement of staff expenses and (b) the 10 largest staff expense reimbursement claims in each year since 1997. [13044]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport was established following machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. Details of costs for the period prior to 2002 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department's spend on reimbursement of staff expenses for the last seven financial years for the central Department; the Maritime and Coastguard Agency; the Driving Standards Agency; the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency; and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency can be found in the following table:
| Financial year | Reimbursement of staff expenses (£) |
We are unable to provide complete information for any of the years without incurring disproportionate costs.
The Department is not able to provide information relating to the 10 largest staff expense reimbursement claims in each year since 1997 without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Billing
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in July and August 2010. [13304]
Norman Baker: The target to pay 90% of invoices within 10 days has been replaced by a target to pay 80% of invoices within five days, and the reply is set out on this basis.
The percentage of invoices paid within five days of receipt for the Department and its agencies for July and August is as follows:
| July 2010 | Aug ust 2010 | |
The departmental commercial terms generally specify that payment will be made within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice.
The percentage of invoices paid within 30 days of receipt for the Department and its agencies for July and August is as follows:
| July 2010 | August 2010 | |
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many payments to suppliers were made by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies (i) within 30 days of, (ii) over 30 days after, (iii) over 60 days after and (iv) over 90 days after the date of invoice in the latest period for which figures are available. [13930]
Norman Baker: For the month of July, the number of payments to suppliers by the Department for Transport and its agencies is broken down as follows:
| Under 30 days | 30+ days | 60+ days | 90+ days | Total | |
The above information is based upon date of receipt of invoice.
The Department for Transport is not required to collect information on payment to suppliers for its non-departmental public bodies.
The Department for Transport has seven executive agencies, as follows:
Highways Agency (HA)
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
Driving Standards Agency (DSA)
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA)
Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA).
Departmental Communication
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what instructions have been issued by the private office of each Minister in his Department on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence. [9663]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport's intranet includes guidance on briefing for meetings, submissions, speeches and correspondence, and this is updated when required.
Departmental Consultants
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which he is responsible in each year since 2005. [12442]
Norman Baker: Total expenditure by the central Department and its agencies on consultants in each financial year since 2004-05 is shown in the following table:
| £ million | ||||||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10( 1) | |
| (1 )These figures are highly provisional and will be subject to more rigorous scrutiny as part of the Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey which is currently under way. The figure of £3.9 million for the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency includes £3.0 million spent on the Testing Transformation Programme which has been fully funded by the central Department. (2 )Joined DfT from 2005-06. | ||||||
The Business Units within the Department currently use separate accounting systems which record expenditure differently. The totals include a mixture of committed spend (i.e. orders raised) and actual spend incurred, including orders raised within the context of framework agreements. The Professional Services Forum definition of consultancy has been applied since 2005-06 resulting in more accurate coding of expenditure.
Expenditure figures from 2005-06 exclude central Department and Highways Agency spend on technical transport related consultancy. Expenditure by the Highways Agency on engineering consultancy and Driving Standards Agency capital expenditure such as project management, legal costs, specialist advice, etc., relating to their property related Multi-purpose Test Centres project are excluded.
Expenditure by non-departmental public bodies on external consultancy can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Furniture
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many chairs his Department and its predecessors purchased in each year since 1997; how much was spent in each such year; and what the five most expensive chairs purchased in each such year were. [12805]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002. Information for the period prior to this date is not available.
The requested information, where recorded, is provided in the following tables.
| Most expensive chairs | |||||
| £ | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| (1) Not recorded. | |||||
The top five most expensive chairs purchased from 2006-07 relate to "specialist chairs" provided to staff following recommendations by our Occupational Health provider.
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